Ever since our friend Paul moved to Honolulu in July, we had tentatively planned a trip to see him as it would be an ideal combination of meeting up with an old friend and visiting a tropical paradise in the same trip, so we finally found a time and reasonable plane tickets in January that worked for all of us. Paul and Delrene graciously hosted us for two weekends in Honolulu, showing us around town, driving us to other parts of the island (including frequent stops at Jamba Juice and Subway), taking us on a great hike along the ridges that run down the spine of the island, and allowing us to stay in their nice condo in the Makiki neighborhood of Honolulu. They even taught us a tiny bit of the Hawaiian language, and we were able to get a good feel for the local culture, which is an interesting mix of American and island culture, with a bit of Asian influence for good measure. Ma'halo Paul and Delrene.

 

Frank and I arrived in good spirits, anxious to see all that the island had to offer, though we were still sporting the 'thumbs up' that should be dropped in lieu of the 'hang loose' symbol.

Nu'uanu Pali lookout offers sweeping views of the North side of O'ahu, and it's also easily reached by car or massive tourist bus (apparently ideal for large groups of senior citizen travelers).

Derek, Frank, and Paul in both alphabetical and descending order at another part of the Nu'uanu Pali lookout.

Some palm trees and steep green mountains provide that nice "South Pacific" feel as we begin our hike at Olomana.

At the top of our steep hike along the very narrow ridge of Olomana (1,643 ft), we had a good view of the towns below and Peaks 2 and 3, though we decided not to press on.

Our favorite beach in O'ahu, Waimanalo was uncrowded, had beautiful water and was flanked by an impressive mountain, in addition to its proximity to refreshing McDonald's ice cream.

Along the road in North O'ahu, we found this beach right off the road, though I didn't take the time to remember its name.

Kahana Bay was another of the numerous photo opportunities along our driving tour, so we gladly obliged.

At the end of our driving tour, we stopped at Haleiwa Beach for some shopping and a chance to enjoy the beach, ocean and plentiful palm trees.

If you are able to briefly take your eyes off of Paul and Frank (I know it's hard), you will notice that they are standing at the top of Diamondhead Crater, overlooking Honolulu.